Pocketknife



R. L. M0 LAY Jan. w25. 1,521,178

POCKET KNIFE Filed Aug. 2ol 1923 INVENTOR.`

g c -TRNEYS.

Patented Jan. 6, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD L. MCLAY, OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

POCKETKNIFE.

Application led August 20, 1923. Serial No. 658,434.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, RICHARD L. MCLAY, a citizen of the Unit-ed States, and a resident of Sacramento, county of Sacramento, State of California, have invented a. new and useful Pocketknife, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in pocket knives and its particular object is to provide locking means for one of the well-known folding knives that will lock the blade automatically when the knife is open as well as when the knife is closed. It is proposed 'to utilize for this purpose a lever pivotally supp-orted in the handle having a stud projecting from its inner face adapted to engage with recesses in the blade .whereby the latter is locked.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l shows a perspective view of my folded knife, Figure 2 a longitudinal section through the knife with the blade in an open position, Figure 3 a section taken along line III--III of Figure 1, and Figure 4 a sectional view taken along line IV- IV of Figure 2.

My knife (1) comprises a grooved handle (2) adapted to receive in its groove the blade (3) when the latter is folded on its pivot (4) at one end of the handle. One of the sides of the handle is slotted longitudinally as shown at (6) and pivotally supports in said side on a pin (7) a lever (8)which latter is provided at one end with a lug (9) adapted to eno-age with either one of two perforations 1) pro-vided in the handle on opposite sides of the pin (4t). One of these perforations (11) is arranged to be engaged by the lug (9) when the knife blade is in the open position, while the other may be engaged when the knife blade is in its closed position. The other end of the lever terminates in an enlarged plate (12) adapted to be engaged by the coil spring (13) bearing on the fixed end (14) of the second side of the handle. The spring tends to force the rear end of the lever outwardly and to thereby cause the lug (9) to engage with either one of the holes (11). When it is desired to open the knife, the operator presses on the plate (12), forcing the same inwardly over the resistance of the spring (13) whereby the front end of the lever is raised vand the lug (9) disengaged from the respective perforation it was resting in. It now is an easy matter to fold or unfold the Vknife blade as the case may be.

I claim:

1. In a pocket knife, a grooved handle, a knife blade pivoted `in one end thereof adapted to be folded into the groove, a lever pivoted in one wall of the handle to swing transversely relative to the blade having means proj ectingfrom its inner face adapted for locking engagement with the blade, the said lever being arranged to be normally flush with the outer face of the handle and. to extend beyond the rear end thereof, an extension of the opposing wall in opposing relation to the projecting end of the lever and spring means interposed between the extension and the projecting end of the lever for normally effecting a locking engagement between the lever and the blade.

2. In a pocket knife, a grooved handle, a knife blade pivoted in one end thereof adapted to be folded into the groove and formed to allow an intermediate portion to project aboveythe groove for manipulation of the blade, and a lever pivoted in one wall of the handle to swing transversely relative. to the blade having means projecting from its inner face adapted for locking engagement with the blade, the said lever eXtending beyond the far end of the handle tov facilitate manipulation thereof simultaneously with the manipulation of the knife blade.

RICHARD L. MCLAY. 

